The Legacy

“I seem to be famous these couple of days,” Kain said, lifting her head. Her eyes were swollen red. Both from crying herself to sleep every night and not sleeping at all. It’s difficult to sleep when every time she closes her eyes, she sees Gavin and his severed head. Her new visitor was Edrick. This was the first time he visited her since she had been locked up. He was standing in front of the closed door, his knuckles white from where he squeezed them together. “Or am I the new animal in the zoo, caged up so that everybody can come and gawk at the beast?” Kain asked savagely, venom laced her every word. “Uh…” Edrick began, stepping forward but he hesitated and went still again.

Kain raised her head a little more, “what do you want master trainer?” she demanded to know. Edrick hesitated a little longer before shaking his head. Kain found it strange to watch her former training master hesitate. If there was anyone who had always been sure of his every move and never wavered, it would be Edrick. But then again, there seem to be a lot of people surprising her these days. “Look Kain. You need to focus. You need to get out of here and it needs to be now. You need to warn your friends. I’m afraid Ovanhail is in trouble. Abbadon seems to have learned more these couple of days and he is closing in on the fae folk. The fae need you, more now than ever!”

Kain’s eyes stretched wide, surprise and shock both competing for dominance in her mind. “How do you know about the fae realm?” she gasped, her voice unintentionally coming out as a whisper. Edrick breathed with a nervous grin playing half-heartedly over his lips, “how do I know anything?” he asked, then his grin faded, “it doesn’t matter how I know. Use your magic Kain. Get out of here!” Edrick urged desperately before slipping out the door. She saw his eyes wander the halls before the door closed him off from her. His warning hovered in the air, his request sinking into her understanding. But why her? Yes, she had been one of the best hunters in the Academy. Yes, she had skills beyond measure. Sure, she is some fae from a lost family and a world not from here. But Breezes and Wison were fae too. Why couldn’t they be the ones to save Ovanhail? Sure, Breezes is lost to the world now, but Wison is still there somewhere.

Ovanhail was in trouble and the fae needed a Bleeder to protect them. They needed her. Not Breezes. Not Wison. Her! because she is the last of the Bleeder bloodline. Kain won’t be of much use to them if she’s locked up here in the Grey room. Neither would she be of any help if she ends up being dead before she could even step foot in Ovanhail.

Her hands felt numb and raw from where the manacles scuffed her skin, but she managed to feel it getting warmer as she concentrated on them. At first, she didn’t intend on listening to Edrick’s word, but it kept making her think about what his words meant. Hekatai had mentioned the powers she contained and its capability. Even Breezes had mentioned her confidence in Kain’s powers. Kain had heard it on several occasions. The only thing left was for Kain to start having confidence in herself.

Kain squeezed her eyes even tighter, trying to focus harder. She could feel her head starting to pound but she refused to give up. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to focus on the magic she had within her. It was hard for her to focus on magic when she had no idea how to use it or how to summon it. She didn’t even understand how to feel it if it’s running in her veins. What if they were mistaken? What if she was the only Bleeder, the only fae without magic? Kain squeezed her eyes tighter still, straining her brain into a ball of concentration. No, she had power running in her veins. She just needed to learn how to make it a part of her. To pull it out of years and years of dormancy. Like that sounded easy.

Kain knew it had to be true. She had felt the power inside her when it erupted out of her in magic pulses, but she didn’t have any basis to which she could compare the feeling. Kain puffed out the air that made her cheeks swell with the effort of pushing something she couldn’t touch. When she breathed in again, the taste of copper laced every bit of her mouth. She grew ill with the thought that it wasn’t her own blood she was tasting. Her eyes wandered to where Gavin’s headless body used to lay.

The smell of Gavin’s blood still hung in the air even after they removed his body about three days ago. Kain still thought of how it had happened. The way Abbadon’s shamshir sliced so easily through Gavin’s neck as if Gavin was nothing but foam. What she thought of most was Gavin’s face and the satisfied expression of Abbadon. It was so easy for him to kill his own. Like those he had raised and trained, those he had chosen, meant nothing to him. That is the moment, the memory, which dragged her forward, making her want to try harder. Hekatai stood in the corner of the room, quietly observing as Kain tried again. Kain was still angry at Hekatai and she still ignored her but secretly she is glad that Hekatai didn’t abandon her. Not even when Kain had shouted at her to do just that.

Kain felt something warm burn against her hands and looked up at the manacles. The iron began to burn red hot from around her wrists, the insides slowly beginning to melt. Kain let out a sound of triumph, pushing herself to focus harder on melting the manacles. By Hekatai’s movement she caught in the corner of her eye, she knew that Hekatai was just as surprised. The iron began to melt a little faster but the movement at the door made Kain loose her focus and the melting iron instantly set into its new formation. Kain glanced at the manacles quickly before looking down at the door. She had to make sure that the manacles weren’t visibly different, not that she could hide it if it was visible. At quick glance it didn’t change much but if anyone were to take a closer look at her wrist then they would see the iron drops which formed at the edges like the leaking wax from a candle.

The door swung open as an old man glided through it. Kain stared at the old man with bewilderment. It was the same strange old man she had seen Abbadon conversing with the other day. The day before it all went wrong. The day Gavin was still hers and she wasn’t a fae. The day before she met Breezes. The day that the worst thing happening in her life was the bad feeling she felt when the fae died after being attacked by a demon fae.

The man was studying Kain intently, his mouth set in a permanent scowl. It’s funny how Kain hadn’t noticed that before. But then the first time she had seen the man, he was walking close beside Abbadon, his head turned towards Abbadon and fervently whispering into Abbadon’s ears. Abbadon entered the room at a very slow pace, giving the old man a chance to look at Kain. To study her. His hands were folded behind his back as he watched the old man’s expression. Kain caught Hekatai’s sudden release of breath before feeling her presence behind her. Don’t talk to me or look at me. This man is not what he seems at first glance! Hekatai warned with quick words.

Kain glared at the old man wondering what Hekatai could have possibly meant by her words, yet she still obeyed Hekatai’s request. “So? Is it the one you have been looking for?” Abbadon asked impatiently, breaking the tense silence of the room. The old man slowly turned sideways towards Abbadon, raising a thick grey eyebrow. “Why so hasty?” he asked with a purr, his voice surprisingly high voice. Kain felt her face redden as she tried to keep in a sudden burst of inappropriate laughter. Inappropriate indeed. Kain chided herself for not taking things seriously. They were here to kill her friends after all, but she couldn’t get over the man’s squeaky voice. It didn’t sound normal and it didn’t fit with the man’s queer exterior.

She accidentally let out a snort which drew the old man’s gaze back towards her. He raised both eyebrows at her, “is something funny?” he asked in his high-pitched voice. It made Kain think of talking squirrels from a movie she once watched. Or where they chipmunks? Kain shook her head, in response.

The old man turned back towards Abbadon questioningly. Abbadon shook his head, and bowed slightly. “Forgive her your Grace, she is a little out of sorts. She had lost one of her best friends in a brutal accident the other day. Decapitated. I believe they were more than friends though. Perhaps something of what one would call ‘being lovers.’” Abbadon placed a hand dramatically to his chest, his face contorting into fake sympathy.

Kain’s face pulled into a deep scowl, her laughter fading away instantaneously. “By accident you mean murdered! By your hand and command!” Kain accused, trying to supress the bile that threatened to push up her throat. The old man turned towards Kain, eyes glistening with entertainment while his face remained emotionless. “Oh dear, what a tragedy,” he mused with sarcasm which resulted in Kain spitting into his face. She would have spitted into Abbadon’s face, were he closer to her. Don’t do anything stupid Kain, he could easily kill you where you hang, Hekatai warned but Kain chose to ignore her. What did the deity care about whether she lived or died when the lives of others meant nothing but a soul harvest to her, Kain wondered.

The old man wiped the spit away, he wasn’t surprised or disgusted, he was amazed. He stared at Kain with a sly smile, “she’s got spirit,” he granted. Abbadon nodded in agreement, “it is why she is considered the best of the best. Well up and till the moment she chose to spare the lives of the fae, who not only betrayed us but holds a traitor in their refuge,” he said, looking at Kain with empty eyes. The old man began walking around Kain slowly, reaching out a scrubby, wrinkled hand and trailing his fingers on Kain’s body. It made a violent shiver ram down her spine. Kain focused on his fingers trailing on the skin of her arm, realizing the strange sensation she felt with the connection of his fingertips. The old man wasn’t just trailing along her body, he was trailing the magic that rested on the surface of her skin. with a sudden jolt, Kain focused on her skin, calling on the magic there. At first, she thought it wasn’t working but then the man suddenly jolted back, shaking his hand as if it was on fire.

Abbadon stepped closer to the man, bewilderment clouding his face, “what is it? What happened?” he asked hurriedly. The old man smiled brightly as he kept his eyes on Kain. He was rubbing his fingertips as he nodded with satisfaction, “she is the one!” he said, turning around and heading for the door, “come along Abbadon, we have words to discuss,” the man added over his shoulder.

Abbadon stared at Kain, his brows furrowed together as he tried to figure out what had just happened, “what did you do?” he asked her. Kain smiled devilishly at him, “apparently I have a ‘shocking’ personality,” she said, a sly smile playing at her lips. Abbadon frowned at her but didn’t make any remarks, instead his face looked as if it was filled with confusion.

“You shouldn’t be able to have access to your magic yet. How are you using your magic already?” he asked quietly. More to himself than to her. “What do you know of my magic?” Kain asked, her heart pounding. Of course, Abbadon knew she had powers. What she didn’t get was how he knew when and how her magic was supposed to come out. How it was supposed to work. Abbadon walked towards her, looking her in the eye before jamming a needle into the side of her neck. Kain gasped at the sudden pinprick followed by an uneasy warm feeling in her vein. She could feel it trailing all along every inch of her body until she felt warm all over.

Abbadon smiled slyly, “this should keep you out of trouble for a while,” he said, watching her as she began to fade out. Her vision began to darken, and she began to slowly lose consciousness. She watched Abbadon leaving the room with a slight sway of his hips and a whistle on his tongue before she completely blacked out.

Kain woke up with a heavy feeling in her head, a confusion forced upon her. Abbadon had tranquilized her. He knew she was capable of escaping via magic. Of course, he’d do everything in his powers to keep her from doing just that. Kain was about to open her eyes when she heard the doorknob turning. She slumped back into a limp position. The door scraped open and the tap-tap-tap sound of footsteps followed as someone walked in. The tapping sound was that of a woman’s heels. Kain listened to the clank of heals against the stone floor becoming louder as the woman approached her. She kept her breathing even and slow, hoping that she could fool the woman in thinking she is still unconscious.

She felt the woman’s fingers hover just above her cheek for just a moment then the woman retracted her hand. “She will be mine soon and then I will finally have what I wanted all along. The power of the circle will belong to me and me alone. I will be the last bleeder in Ovanhail which will force every fae kind to bow down to me,” the woman announced. Kain hadn’t heard anyone else enter the room with the woman. Was she talking to herself?

The woman’s voice sounded familiar to Kain, she couldn’t say from where, but she knew that it wasn’t from the Academy. She had never seen Abbadon talking to a woman before. “It’s such a shame, that a beauty like this should go to waste!” the woman mused. The clanking of her heels sounded again, growing distant this time, telling Kain that the woman was walking away. Kain knew that there was something about the woman she didn’t like. There was a clenching feeling in Kain’s gut that told her to keep her eyes shut and not to move a muscle.

“And what about the promise you made me your highness?” Abbadon asked hesitantly from the other side of the door. He hadn’t followed the woman in. Kain heard the woman letting out a smiling breath, “do not fret my loyal subject, for I always keep my promises,” the woman assured

“I mean just look at this!” there was a slight pause, Kain had that feeling that someone was watching her, “I promised all members of the Blood circle that I will have it all. I almost did until that Bloodleaf wench hid her daughter from me. There are two members of the circle left,” there was another pause, “after the end of the day, there will only be one!” the woman broke into a little giggle before continuing. “You will have the power you desire my dear Abbadon, don’t you worry,” she assured him. Kain heard a soft pat and se envisioned the woman patting Abbadon’s shoulder. Something in the woman’s voice told Kain that the woman’s promise was nothing but empty. She was playing Abbadon and he didn’t even seem to realize it.

“Very well, when do we start the preparations?” There was a tearing-ripping sound. Instead of the woman, it was the old man answering, “as soon as possible. Once the night sky falls, I want everything to be ready!” Kain realized that the old man and the woman were the same person. Kain heard footsteps heading away from her.

“Very well,” Abbadon said as the door closed, the sound of footsteps disappearing. Kain waited for a moment before opening her eyes. She blinked a few times, thinking about what the two people had talked about. She understood now what Hekatai meant by her words earlier. The old man isn’t what he seems, or better yet, the old man isn’t who he seems.

She wasn’t sure at first but listening to the woman talk, to the words she said, Kain was positive about her suspicions. She knew now, thinking about it, that the woman’s voice sounded familiar to her because she did hear it before. Given it was a long time ago, but it wasn’t a voice easily forgotten. The woman Abbadon talked to, used the image of the strange old man as a disguise. Kain frowned at her swirling thoughts, she wasn’t the last Bleeder after all, there was one other. The Bleeder who caused everything to fall apart and crash into itself, the person who was responsible for not only her parent’s death but also the rest of the blood circle members and every innocent fae. The woman Abbadon is working for is Zorzia Bloodyang! The Bleeder who went rogue! This is who Kain must fight. If Zorzia is still a Bleeder too then it meant that she must still have some deity’s powers running in through her veins. That would explain her ability to morph into an old man and back. Even as Kain thought about it, she knew that there was still something she was missing. But what?